Albert "Al" Winters Jr., a longtime prosecutor who was famed for his skill at reaching settlements that satisfied attorneys on both sides, died Friday (June 28) of cancer at East Jefferson General Hospital. He was 71.

"Al was known for getting cooperation from the most recalcitrant defendants because they trusted him, and the (federal) agents trusted him. Nobody could do it better than Al," said U.S. District Judge Lance Africk, who worked with Mr. Winters in the U.S. attorney's office during the 1980s.

"He was always known as the go-to guy for trying to work out a tough plea agreement," former U.S. Attorney Harry Rosenberg said. "He had a rapport with defense lawyers as well as the respect of the (U.S. attorney's) office."

During his 34-year federal career, Mr. Winters was able to negotiate plea deals in a wide variety of cases, including bail jumping, drug trafficking and fraud. One high-profile case was Operation Gemstone, a marijuana-smuggling case that resulted in 117 convictions, including those of law enforcement officers and a state judge, and the seizure of about 1.25 million pounds of marijuana.

Mr. Winters also was instrumental in getting Larry Smith Jr., a former New Orleans police detective, to testify against Len Davis, a former New Orleans police officer who was convicted of narcotics charges and, at a separate trial, of ordering the killing of a woman who had filed a brutality complaint against him. Sixteen others also were convicted.

Because of Smith's cooperation, Mr. Winters and another prosecutor asked for leniency for him, and got it. Smith was sentenced to three years behind bars, one-ninth of the maximum time he could have received.

As a result of his work in that case, Mr. Winters, along with five other federal prosecutors and FBI agents, was honored by the Metropolitan Crime Commission.

One case in which Mr. Winters was involved that was not settled with plea deals was the Brilab investigation into kickbacks for state insurance contracts. A jury convicted organized-crime figure Carlos Marcello and Charles "Budgie" Roemer of racketeering. Mr. Roemer's conviction was overturned in 1989.

In whatever Mr. Winters undertook, Africk said, "He was motivated by nothing more than doing justice."

A lifelong New Orleanian, Mr. Winters graduated from Jesuit High School and earned undergraduate and law degrees at Loyola University. After finishing law school in 1968, Mr. Winters worked in general practice until he joined the U.S. attorney's office in 1972.

"Al was a prosecutor at heart when he came into the office," Rosenberg said. But, Rosenberg said, experience helped Mr. Winters to see several aspects of cases and, as a result, develop a reputation as a negotiator.

"He was tireless in his efforts to achieve a resolution," Rosenberg said. "He would stick with it. I think a lot of other folks would have thrown up their hands and said, 'Let's go to trial,' but he always stuck with his tasks and managed to achieve that resolution that was for the benefit of the community and the client.

"He earned the respect of defense lawyers. He had a rapport with them," Rosenberg said. "He wasn't the guy you'd always be socializing with as a defense lawyer, but he'd shoot straight with you."

Harahan Mayor Vinny Mosca, who faced Mr. Winters frequently as a defense lawyer, called him "the prosecutorial guru."

"He was the only person I'd want to deal with," Mosca said. "Most people thought my skills were in plea agreements and mitigation of punishments, but to do that, I had to go to Al. I could have a 10-minute session, and the case would be resolved.

"A lot of people looked up to him because in a difficult, complex case, he could resolve it," Mosca said. "He knew how to resolve every case in a way that benefited he government and didn't bury the defendant."

In the U.S. attorney's office, Mr. Winters served as chief of narcotics, chief of the criminal division, first assistant U.S. attorney on two occasions and senior litigation counsel. Mr. Winters also served as a special assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida from 1986 through 1990, during which he participated in investigations and prosecutions of high-level Colombian drug cases and contract murder cases involving the killing or attempts to kill federal witnesses.

In 1983, Mr. Winters became chief of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section Strike Force, a U.S. Justice Department section that worked closely with, but was separate from, the local U.S. attorney's office. He later returned to the U.S. attorney's office and stayed there until he retired in April, 2006.

He later went to work in the Jefferson Parish district attorney's office.

Survivors include his companion, Mary Jane Lattie, and two brothers, Mike and Brian Winters. His funeral will be private.

A memorial will be held Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Cannery, 3803 Toulouse St. Jacob Schoen & Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.